Lilacs III
by trek-grrrl
Summary: Xover Gilligans Island. Ralph, Pam, Bill and O'Neil go to the Minnow reunion. Kinda fun and fluffy. The series concludes in Lilacs IV, which will be only GAH. Complete. R&R would rock.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter One.

Captain Jonas Grumby, aka "The Skipper," threw the line down to his first mate, Gilligan.

"Tie that securely, now, Gilligan!" he hollered needlessly

"Yeah, yeah, Skipper, I know how to tie off a line already!" his 'mate yelled back, after he'd jumped off the M/V Minnow II to the dock.

The Skipper laughed, "I know, I know, little buddy, can't help m'self after all these years."

The two of them, on the Skipper's new boat, had made the voyage from Honolulu harbor to Los Angeles for the annual reunion of the original Minnow's crew and passengers. This boat was much larger, and ocean-worthy, unlike his little SS Minnow had been.

"Ginger, we're here, you and the kids ready?" he yelled to his wife.

"Coming!" came the answer from belowdecks. "We're here already? Los Angeles?"

"Yes, ma'am, and yes, we'll be visiting your old friends in Hollyweird!" he chuckled, knowing her response.

She climbed out of the little gangway leading below, smirking at her husband. "Oh, shush, you. It's not so weird that I came from there!"

"That's true," he said, planting a little kiss on his beautiful wife's cheek. He hoped some of the old seadogs on the nearby docks saw him with his lovely bride. After all these years, he still couldn't believe his good fortune that brought them together. Who would've thought a gorgeous broad like Ginger Grant would go for someone like him? He shook his head, amazed yet again how it had all worked out.

"Willam! Ginny! C'mon, Uncle Roy and Aunt Mary should be here to meet us at the visitors' area, let's shake a leg!" Jonas hollered down behind his wife, his deep voice bellowing clear to the end of the yacht and back.

"Coming, Pop!" "Hang on, Daddy, I'm almost ready!" came the replies.

Jonas knew his children well, and knew his son and oldest would appear first. His daughter, the youngest, he knew would be fussing and primping in front of her mother's vanity, making sure every last hair was in place. She was only seven, and had already decided she had a crush on Roy Hinkley III, the Professor's son. She didn't seem to care there was a six year age difference between the two. She confessed to her mother Ginger that she was willing to wait, like her mother had waited for her daddy.

"Gilligan, do you see 'em?"

He saw that his 'mate had been scanning the visitors' area at the end of the docks. His keen eyesight hadn't picked them out yet.

"Not yet, Skipper, but you know they won't miss our landing! I think we're here a little ahead of time, having caught the current and all."

"All right, wait for us down there, and I'll put out the gangway. Maybe they'll be there by the time we get up there."

He turned to see his wife and children, all glowing and looking their best for visiting their old friends and the Mainland.

"All right, mateys, you ready?" he asked, grinning at his little family.

"Yes, CAPTAIN!" they all yelled back, grinning in turn.

"William, help me with the gangway. You remember what I showed you to do?"

"'Course, Pop, I remember everything you tell me."

"You'll make a great sailor someday, son!" Jonas said proudly as he and his son set to.

Gilligan was waiting at the bottom, knowing the children may be a little shaky from being on land once again. He held his hand out to steady Ginny as she all but fell to the dock.

"Steady, girlie, you've gotta get your land legs now!"

"Great, I'm going to be a landlubber," she griped as she held her Uncle Gilligan's hand.

He turned to see if William, his namesake, needed a hand, but he was steady as a rock.

"I'm okay, Unc, maybe you should help Mom?"

Gilligan did as he was bade, and held his hand out for Ginger.

"Careful, Ginger, you're too used to the boat!"

She held tightly as she realized he was correct. She felt as if she was still on the open water, even though the dock was barely moving by this time.

Once his family was safely on the dock, Jonas took one last look around his boat, smiling proudly to himself, and secured the engine, cockpit and doors.

"All right, folks," he said as he bounced off the gangway. "Let's see if the Professor and Mary Ann are waiting for us."

"And Roy and Mary Grace, too, Daddy!" Ginny piped up as she took her father's big hand.

"Yes, and Roy and Mary Grace too, Ginny," he said.

Once at the building where visitors were greeted, the kids went straight for the soda and candy machines to fill their cravings for sweets.

"Great, that's all we need, sugar and caffeine for the kids," Jonas grumbled to his wife.

"Oh, let them, they've been at sea for days. They only rarely visit the Mainland, after all, it's still an adventure to them!"

As the three watched the children guzzle coke and gobble candy, they heard an exclamation behind them.

"SKIPPER!" Mary Ann and Roy Hinkley yelled, bursting through the double-doors.

"Hey!" the three exclaimed, and the hugs and handshakes went all around. After a few moments, when the children had also enjoyed their little reunion, Roy indicated the young man and woman who'd followed them in.

"Jonas, Gilligan, Ginger, I'd like you to meet my nephew, Ralph Hinkley, and his fiancee Pam Davidson! They're going to be joining us for the reunion, along with his friends Bill and Kim. Hope you don't mind!"

"Naw, the more the merrier! How do you do, Ralph? Pam?"

"I've heard so much about all of you, it's like I already know you, Skipper!" Ralph said. "And you too, Ginger, if it's okay that I call you that!"

"Certainly, Ralph! Nice meeting you both, too. Now, I wonder if the Howells are in L.A. yet!"

The Professor chuckled. "Already settled into their summer home in Brentwood, Ginger. You know them, a house on every corner of the States, and one in Hawai'i too!"

"Yes, they insisted that you all stay with them during your visit here, Ginger, Skipper and Gilligan," Mary Ann added.

The kids had returned in time to hear that declaration. "We're staying at Uncle Thurston's and Aunt Lovey's, Pop?"

"Sure sounds like it, son!"

"Ooh, they've got a POOL, William!" Ginny gushed.

The Professor smiled down at the tiny redhead and tousled her hair. "You and water, Ginny! I swear, you're like a little mermaid!"

Ginny pulled away, a scowl on her face. "Uncle Roy! You've messed my hair up!"

The adults laughed at her consternation, and she desperately ran her fingers through her lovely red hair, trying to straighten it.

"It's not funny!" she said, and stomped off toward the other kids.

That only elicited more laughter from the adults.

"Okay, we'll come back later for our gear, Gilligan. Let's follow the Hinkleys and see what they have in mind for us today."

Ralph said, "I've got a station wagon, how about Pam and I take the kids with us, and you all go in Uncle Roy's car? We can road trip to the Howells' house."

"Sounds good, let's go!"

Ralph and Pam took their position behind the Hinkleys' car as they made the journey to the exclusive Brentwood neighborhood.

They exchanged glances as they listened to the children chattering behind them. Ginny had insisted on sitting in the far back, in the folding seats, with Roy the third, and giggled at every little thing that came from his mouth.

William was more than happy to sit with Mary Grace, so the two sets of kids jabbered about how their year had gone since the last reunion.

Roy was trying to convey to the tittering little Ginny the idea he had about the planet Jupiter, but relented after a few minutes. He caught his twin sister's eye, and she rolled hers heavenward, as if saying, What can you do? She's only seven, after all!

"Are you going swimming when we get there, Roy?" Ginny asked desperately.

"Sure, you know Uncle Thurston, he always has swimming suits for us all!" he said, smiling at the tiny girl.

"Good, I wanted to show you what I can do, Uncle Gilligan taught me! I can do a triple gainer before hitting the water now. We were doing it off the Minnow on the way up here, when we were giving the engines a break."

"A triple gainer? G'won, you can't do that!" he replied, winking at the two other kids.

"Can too!" she insisted. "Right off Uncle's high dive, I'll do it!"

William had to come to his sister's defense. "She really can, Roy, you should see it! Pop says she's the swimmer of the family, and I'm the sailor."

"And Roy's the scientist," Mary Grace said.

"So, you like science, Roy?" Ralph asked his younger cousin.

"Sure do! This idea I have about Jupiter, I was trying to find something in Dad's books but he chased me out of his library, said he'd help me find information on it later, after the reunion."

"Well, if you can't find it in Uncle Roy's library, it can't be found, I'm sure. Between his books and his science journals, that is."

"Yep, that's what I figured too."

"What do you like at school, Mary Grace?" Pam asked the girl, having learned the specialties of the other three children.

"Math!" she and Roy piped up, then both broke into peals of laughter simultaneously. The other two children had to join in, of course, and soon the stationwagon was ringing with children's laughter.

Pam looked at Ralph, and said quietly, "Listening to these four makes me want a handful myself, Ralph! Such adorable and well-behaved kids!"

"They are cute, aren't they? All born on that little island, and the only social exposure they had were their parents and five others. Uncle Roy told me that from the start, they'd all worked out how the kids would be raised. By the time they were rescued, Roy the third and Mary Grace were way ahead of their classmates. Ginny was four and William was six when they saw the US for the first time in Hawai'i. She was scholastically and socially advanced already for pre-school, as was William for first grade. They certainly didn't suffer from having been born in the tropical wilds!"

"Wow, I guess not! Having so many acting as tutors, 'aunts' and 'uncles' really helped. And having your Uncle Roy there to teach them things most don't think to teach children, well..."

"Exactly. Math and science? Uncle didn't consider his children wouldn't grasp simple algebra, so taught that along with arithmetic."

Ralph looked behind him, in the rearview mirror, as the four children resumed their two conversations. They had a dynamic among them, a bond of having been through so much in their formative years, that he was sure that they'd be lifetime friends, no matter the distance that separated them. They obviously relished these yearly reunions, and the chance to see their 'aunts' and 'uncles' once more.

Ralph raised his voice so the children could hear him. "So, I haven't met the Howells yet, what are they like?"

The answers from the four made Ralph and Pam laugh as they approached Brentwood.

"Nice!" "Rich!" "They like to fuss over me too much." "Old!" "Aunt Lovey thinks I'm her grandson or something." "Uncle Thurston thought I should've been named after him!"

Roy's louder voice worked its way over the others. "They told me at the last reunion that Dad, Mom, Uncle Jonas and Aunt Ginger, and Uncle Gilligan, are the only real friends they've ever had!"

"Really? Well, they did spend fifteen long years together, trying to survive!"

"Yep, that they did. I can't imagine what it would've been like to be born in the States, Ralph. Dad's family was sure surprised when we all showed up in Hawai'i, after that big typhoon sank the island!"

Pam said, "You'll have to tell me about that, some day, Roy, you and the others."

"And the whole island sank?" Ralph asked, amazed.

"Sure did! That was quite a blow, Uncle Jonas said. Worst storm he's ever been in, and he'd been in a LOT! I found out something similar happened here on the Mainland, in 1969. A typhoon called Camille cut an island clean in two!"

Mary Grace nudged her brother. "They're called 'hurricanes' on the Mainland, dummy!"

Roy nudged her back. "Shut up, I knew that!"

Soon, the four children strained to see out of their windows, fastened in as they were to their seats.

"We're here, we're here!" exclaimed Ginny, recognizing the fine big house.

Ralph turned into a long winding driveway behind his uncle, pulled up alongside and motioned to Pam to start unloading kids.

"All right, kids, safe and sound! Now you'll have to introduce me to the Howells," Ralph said.

It didn't take long, and Ralph and Pam saw an elderly couple coming out of the main entrance, arms raised to hug and kiss the newcomers.

The four children didn't hesitate, and even the older Hinkley kids lost any vestige of trying to be cool and threw their arms around the couple.

"Uncle Thurston! Aunt Lovey!" they yelled, and the older couple had two children each clinging to them.

"Now, now, children," Lovey started, her eyes misting at the lovely sight of her godchildren. "Let's not get started, you'll make Uncle Thurston and me cry!"

Ginny peered up at her from hugging Mrs. Howell's leg. "We're just so happy to see you two!"

"I know, darling, I'm always happy to see my favorite children! And look how BIG you've all grown in just a year! And your HAIR, Ginny, it's marvelous!"

Ginny took one hand and flipped her fine red hair back, preening at the mention of her favorite attribute. "You look good, too, Aunt Lovey!"

After all of the initial greetings were dispensed, Roy brought Ralph and Pam forward. "Mr. and Mrs. Howell, I'd like you to meet my nephew, Ralph Hinkley, and his fiancee, Pam Davidson."

Thurston reached out and gave Ralph a firm handshake. "How do you do, my boy? The Professor's nephew, eh? Pleasure, pleasure. And you, Miss Davidson."

Ginny ran over to hug her Uncle Thurston's leg next. "Uncle, can we swim today? Huh? Huh?"

He tousled her hair, too, but didn't get the big speech about mussing her as Roy had. "Of course, Ginny, of course! We'll all retire to the pool and you four can change into suits we've already got laid out for you!"

Roy the third, remembering where the pool changing rooms were, led their little entourage and the children were off and running.

Mr. Howell chuckled as the children ran out of sight. "You wouldn't know she just came in on a boat halfway across the Pacific, would you?"

"She's a little water rat, that one is, Mr. Howell," Jonas said, smiling as well. "I swear, she takes more after Gilligan than me!"

"'s probably from me teaching her to swim when she was a baby, Skipper! Remember how nervous Ginger was?"

Ginger, at the mention of her name, rolled her eyes heavenward. "All right, Gilligan, so I was wrong! But let's face it, given your reputation, would YOU trust an infant with you?"

"Aw, Ginger, I think it was having babes in arms that made me sail straight finally, I sure wasn't going to bungle something with a baby or two in hand!"

The Professor clapped him on the back. "We knew that, Gilligan, or we wouldn't have trusted Roy and Mary Grace with you when Mary Ann and I needed a break!"

Lovey spoke up, "All right, people, let's follow the children. Can't leave them alone at the poolside, after all! We've got all afternoon and evening to reminisce about baby-raising on an island."

Ralph and Pam took up the rear as the seven former castaways followed Mrs. Howell's lead and went to the pool area. They were both wishing they'd brought their own swimsuits when they saw the Olympic sized pool and high-dive.

Roy Hinkley saw his nephew eyeing the water longingly, and asked, "Mr. Howell, you don't happen to have suits for my nephew and Pam, do you?"

Ralph turned hopefully toward his host, who pointed to the little changing shacks. "Certainly, his and hers," Thurston said, indicating the blue for boys and pink for girls. "You both should find something suitable in there, pardon the pun!"

Howell's distinctive laugh made the two laugh as well as they went to change. Ralph carefully folded his red suit, which he'd been wearing under his street clothes, and hid it under his jeans and oxford-cloth shirt.

He waited for Pam outside, and when she emerged with a lovely dark purple one-piece on with matching wrap around her hips, Ralph couldn't help admiring her up and down.

"Whew," he whistled, drinking in the sight of his beautiful girlfriend. "It's like they knew you were coming, Pam!"

He was interrupted from his admiration by a high-pitched squeal. He and Pam turned just in time to see Ginny Grumby launch herself from the high dive, perform a triple-somersault mid-air, and cleanly hit the surface like a little arrow.

"Wow!" everyone exclaimed, clapping, as she surfaced seconds later, spluttering water from her face as she swam to the poolside.

She climbed out and took a little bow for her adult audience, while Ginger and the Skipper smiled indulgently.

"Can't keep that one out of the water, folks! I'm thinking about signing her up for serious lessons once we're back in Hawai'i. I think she's Olympic games potential!"

The Professor watched the diminuitive girl get her towel and dry off, then grab a soda from the cooler. "I think you're right, Skipper, look at her! She acts like 7 year old girls do triple-gainers off high-dives as easily as playing dolls!"

"Yep, Gilligan taught her, off the Minnow on the way up."

"She JUST LEARNED how to do that?" Mary Ann asked, amazed as she too watched the little girl take a break.

"Sure did. She's got swimming in her veins, right down to her soul. One reason Ginger and I think she'd be great for the Olympics!"

Ginny, having sated her thirst, re-joined her brother, friends and Ralph and Pam in the water, with the other four watching and offering encouragement from the side.

The senior Roy Hinkley drove the Skipper and Gilligan back to the marina to load up all their gear, borrowing Ralph's stationwagon, and soon returned. They all enjoyed the hospitality of the Howells until the children showed signs of exhaustion, and it was time to turn in.

Being gracious hosts, the older couple saw the Hinkleys and Pam off at the cars.

The Professor said, "Seems like we've just HAD our reunion, but no... we've got a great sheltered area by the water reserved, had it since we learned we were hosting this year! Picnicking and fireworks galore, on the Pacific Ocean!"

"Sounds marvelous, Professor," Mrs. Howell said as they all got into their respective cars. "I'll see you at the beach then, Roy and Mary Grace!"

They waved out the window, reluctant to have to leave their friends.

"We'll see you there, Aunt Lovey!" Mary Grace said.

The Howells watched the Hinkley contingent drive off, smiled and returned to see how dinner was going for themselves and their guests.

(A/N: More coming in the not-too-distant-future, like in a week or so. Stay tuned, or better yet, mark me for Author Alerts. Got some other stuff coming down the pike soon as well.) 


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two.

Kim O'Neil couldn't help but chuckle when Bill Maxwell emerged from her bathroom in his beach wear, ready for the big picnic and fireworks show on the Pacific shore.

He was wearing loose beige baggies, a garishly-bright yellow-and-orange Hawai'ian shirt over a white tanktop, white socks and brown sandals. His favorite aviator sunglasses were propped on top of his head, and the ever-present shoulder holster, firearm and ammo were hidden under the unbuttoned shirt.

"I'm not going ANYWHERE with you till you lose the socks, Maxwell!" she giggled, pointing down.

"What is this social stigma against white socks? Jeesh, they wouldn't make 'em if they weren't meant to be worn!"

"Yes, with sneakers, not sandals and not brown loafers."

He glared at her, but sat down and complied with her request. She chuckled again, this time at his white skin.

"You need more sun, boy," she said.

"Naw, I don't. Why do you think I look so darned good for my age? Look at other guys from L.A. in their early 50's, they've got leather for skin."

Kim went to him and perched on his lap before he could stand, and ran her hand over the smoothe skin of his chin and neck, and gazed into his brown eyes.

"You know, you're right," she whispered, and started kissing and nibbling where her hand had just roamed.

They enjoyed their cuddling and kissing for a few moments, and Bill finally had to pull away. He roughly pushed O'Neil off his lap, making her laugh as she almost fell.

"All right, woman, enough of that! You just wanna have your way with me, and we've gotta get to the beach. Ralph said everyone should be there by high noon."

"And we don't need to bring anything? You're sure?"

"Oh, no, their reunions are always paid in full, they all pitch in what they can. 'Course, Ralph said that old couple, the Howells I think, are rich beyond imagination. They've offered every year to pay for everything, trips, hotels, goodies for the kids, but the other five insist on sharing the burden."

"And they don't mind us being there?"

"Naw, Ralph said they said the more the merrier!"

"Well good, sounds like a great day and night for the 4th of July!"

They gathered their beach gear together and went to O'Neil's little VW Rabbit. Bill surreptitiously scanned the area, to see if anyone that didn't belong there was nearby. Nope, only the usual vehicles he always noted in her neighborhood. People were already out in the hot L.A. sun, firing up the barbeques and shooting off fireworks.

He frowned at a gaggle of older children half a block away, as they set off row upon row of firecrackers.

He pointed to the kids, and said to O'Neil, "Darned kids, those things are ILLEGAL in the city! Where're their parents?"

He moved as if he was going to go to them, to scare them with his badge and make them go away, but Kim held him back.

"Bill, don't scare 'em, they're just being kids. Look, they're doing it on a quiet street, no combustibles about, it's not windy enough to blow sparks any where. And there are enough adults out here barbequeing that they'd see if there was a problem."

"Well, yeah, I guess you're right. God knows I set off a few firecrackers on the 4th back in the day!"

"With four brothers, it was like WWIII in my neighborhood. C'mon, let 'em be, we've gotta go."

After they pulled out onto the quiet street, pausing so said children could get out of their way (and receiving a frown of disapproval from Bill), Bill pulled out his little walkie-talkie that he used to communicate with Ralph.

"Ralph, got yer ears on?"

A moment later, he heard his best friend and partner.

"Yeah, Bill, what's your 20?"

"We're just leaving the kid's house. Shouldn't be long, since she's so close to that beach park."

"Great, Pam and I'll be there in about five minutes. Uncle Roy and the family went early this morning, to get all the decorations and food set up."

"Got the you-know-what?"

"Of course, but it's in its case. I'm sure not going to wear it on the beach all day, I wanna SWIM!"

"I know, I know. I get nervous, that's all. We'll see ya in a bit."

"'Kay."

Bill, Kim, Ralph and Pam all arrived at the same time. Roy Hinkley had magically pulled some strings with the Parks Department, and had managed to reserve parking spaces for them all, even the extra guests' cars. The Rabbit and stationwagon pulled up next to one another.

"Hey Ralph, hey Pam!" O'Neil said. The four of them got out and began grabbing their duffel bags of beach gear.

Kim and Pam looked each other up and down, smiling approvingly at one another's outfit. Ralph and Bill saw what their ladies were doing and smirked. Women.

It didn't take long to find the sheltered picnic tables for the SS Minnow reunion, with the small crowd of adults and children.

Ralph, already having met them all the night before, made the round of introductions. Bill and Kim went down the rows of people, shaking hands and smiling.

Bill had to pause when he met the famous Ginger Grant.

"Wow, Miss Grant, I can't tell you what an honor it is to meet you!" he gushed, blushing furiously. He started to fumble for his notepad and little pen, and pulled them out. "Could I get your autograph?"

"Sure, Bill, and call me 'Ginger.' I haven't been 'Miss Grant' in quite some time!" She obliged him by signing the paper for him, "To Bill, Thanks for joining us this 4th of July, 1982! Kindest regards, Ginger Grant Grumby."

He took the little paper from her and smiled at her message. He carefully tucked it into his coin pocket, to keep it safe.

Kim had stood back while Bill played devoted fan, and finally cleared her throat.

"Oh yes, Miss Grant... uh, GINGER, this is Kim O'Neil, my girlfriend!"

O'Neil shook Ginger's hand, smiling at the woman. They were about the same age, and Kim couldn't help but notice Ginger, too, had lovely fair skin. Maybe NOT sunbathing was the key, she began to think. She was glad Bill had insisted on the sunblock this morning.

After all the introductions and handshakes had gone around, the adults settled onto the picnic tables while the children were preparing to hit the beach. They'd worked out amongst themselves who'd take kid-watch throughout the day and night, and Gilligan was first up.

Once the four children had their swimsuits and towels in hand, Gilligan rustled them together and said, "All right, troops, what are the rules today?"

They began to recite, "We stay in viewing distance of you at all times. We don't go in the water by ourselves, unless you or another adult is on-shore near us. We don't yell 'Shark!' just to clear out the water. We don't throw sand down one another's suits. We don't throw sand AT ALL. We conduct ourselves like proper young ladies and gentlemen."

"Right, very good! Now, off to the rest rooms to change, I'll be right behind ya!"

"Okay, Uncle Gilligan!" they yelled, once again in unison, and were off.

Gilligan turned back to the remaining adults, who'd paused in their conversations to listen to the children's recitation.

Bill nodded approvingly at Gilligan. "Got 'em well-trained, haven't ya?"

"Yes, sir, I do!" Gilligan smiled, giving them all a mock salute as he too went to the men's room to change.

Mr. Howell spoke from the other end of the big table. "So, Mr. Maxwell, what is it you do? I don't believe the Professor mentioned it."

Bill looked at his three friends and Roy Hinkley, then said, "Well, Mr. Howell, I'm an FBI agent."

That caused a stir.

"Indeed? How interesting. And you're here because you're the friend of the Professor's nephew?"

"Yes, sir, I met the Professor earlier this year, when he was helping Ralph and me on a case."

"Excellent, excellent. Yes, our Professor here can be quite helpful, can't he?"

"He certainly can! Without his assistance, well... it would've been bad."

When Bill didn't continue, and the Hinkleys didn't comment, Mr. Howell looked between the six of them that knew about Ralph's special red suit.

"You're not going to give with the details, then?"

Bill smiled and said, "No, sir, I'm afraid I can't. It was rather top secret. National security and all."

Thurston Howell frowned, not being used to being denied anything. He and Bill Maxwell locked gazes for a few moments, but it was obvious to Howell that Bill wasn't going to capitulate. Bill calmly returned his gaze.

"Fair enough, my boy, 'long as it all worked out well in the end?"

"That it did, sir, that it did. And like I said, without Professor Hinkley's help, well... I'd hate to see where this country would be right now."

Ralph nudged Bill to shut him up. The more tidbits he let out, the more Mr. Howell was going to be curious, and they surely didn't need that!

Ralph pointed to the Skipper, getting his attention. "Hey, Bill, the Skipper here's got a new boat, the Minnow II. Bill's into fishing and loves boats, Skipper, why don't you tell him about it?"

That did it, and the Skipper started bragging about his new yacht to Bill and anyone else who'd listen. Ralph smirked at Bill, who smirked back, but paid attention to what the Skipper was saying.

After a few minutes, Bill said, "Maybe we can arrange for a fishing trip sometime next year, Skipper, if you, the family and Gilligan are going to be at the Mainland!"

"That'd be great, Bill! I like to find excuses to take her out on the open waters, like she's built for. Let's talk later on and figure something out."

Bill looked excitedly at Ralph, grateful that his younger friend had brought up the boat. The thought of going deep sea fishing off a private yacht like that, with Ginger Grant on-board, was something to look forward to next year. He'd plan his annual leave around it!

Gilligan smiled as he watched the children running ahead of him, past a line of bushes that bordered the picnic area. The boys and girls separated to go into their respective rest rooms. Gilligan trusted Mary Grace to keep an eye on little Ginny for the brief amount of time it'd take them to change, so he aimed for the men's room.

As he passed the line of bushes, a movement caught his eye and he looked, startled, to see two men in the bush, watching in the direction from which he came.

"OH!" he exclaimed, startled that the kids had just run by these two shady characters. He looked nervously at the rest rooms, then back at the men.

When he stopped so abruptly, staring, one of the men looked at him. Not saying a word, the man opened his jacket, showing Gilligan the gun that was hidden there.

Gilligan gulped and ran, first to the men's room. When he saw Roy and William, they looked up, startled at the expression on their gentle "uncle's" face.

"You two all right?" Gilligan gasped.

The two boys looked at one another. "Sure, Unc, we're fine!" William said.

Gilligan changed quickly into his own swimming trunks, tucking his clothes and towel under his arm. "Meet me by the girls' room when you're done." And he was out the door.

He ran to the open door of the girls' room.

He didn't want to mention their names, so called out, "You two all right in there?"

Mary Grace said, "Yes, Uncle Gilligan, we're almost done! I'm helping Ginny with her two-piece."

"Okay, me and the boys'll be waiting here for you, hurry up!"

Mary Grace and Ginny looked at each other, wondering at the urgency in Gilligan's voice.

When the four children had gathered by him, Gilligan nervously pushed them all together so he could wrap his skinny arms around them, like a mother hen protecting her chicks. He began walking them toward the beach and away from the bushes, keeping the rest room building between his group and the bad men.

Being so sensitive to a man they'd literally grown up with, Roy turned and looked at him. "What's wrong, Uncle?"

"Nothing, nothing," he said nervously. He knew he wouldn't fool them for a second.

"C'mon, Unc, give," said William.

Gilligan smiled down at the children, sensing their moods were changing as they picked up his nervous energy.

"Nothing at all, kids, really. Big city and all, I'm not used to it. You see some strange folks in L.A.!"

Roy the third laughed, having lived there for the past three years. He noticeably relaxed, which made the other children relax as well. They saw him as their "leader," being the oldest (by about four minutes over Mary Grace), and if he was relaxed, everything was okay.

Roy turned from talking to Gilligan, to address the two younger kids. "It's okay, you see all kinda weirdos in L.A., one must've spooked Uncle, that's all."

Having been assured by both Gilligan and Roy, the Grumby children had already forgotten the moment, focused as they were with running into the waves. Gilligan made them all line up as he pulled out the big bottle of waterproof sunblock. He slathered them all over, then released them to go enjoy the water.

"You've got ONE HOUR, kids!" he yelled at their retreating backs.

He settled down nearby to watch, checking behind him every so often toward the bushes. What were they DOING there? Were they looking at OUR table? he wondered. 


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three.

When the children's hour of swimming was up, Gilligan called them all back to shore. He watched between them and the bushes as the kids toweled off, laughing and cutting up amongst themselves.

"C'mon, kids, let's go back this way," he said, indicating down the beach. They could by-pass the bushes by following along the seawall, and climb up the steps that led to the picnicking area.

The four children took their time about it, watching the ground for any interesting bits that may've washed up on the last tide. Gilligan wanted to hustle them along, but he knew these kids. He couldn't deter them from their natural tendancy to beach-comb, so he slowly trailed behind them, his keen eyes scanning the area for the men he saw earlier.

By the time they reached their sheltered area, Gilligan's nerves were on edge once more. He'd managed to keep the kids from noticing it, primarily by remaining quiet. Once he saw them safely to the table of adults, he went to the Skipper.

He leaned down and whispered, "Can I talk to you a sec?"

"What is it, Gilligan?" the Skipper asked aloud.

Gilligan looked nervously at the bushes several yards away, and back to the Skipper. "Over here, Skipper!"

The older man followed his buddy away from the table.

"What, Gilligan?" he asked in irritation.

Gilligan said in a loud whisper, "Skipper, there were two men hiding in those bushes by the rest room... No! Don't look! I saw one move when I walked by, right behind the kids, and one of them showed me a GUN!"

"WHAT?" the Skipper exclaimed, turning again to look in that direction.

"Shhhhh, shhhh, don't LOOK!" Gilligan insisted.

The Skipper put his arm over Gilligan's slender shoulders. "Gilligan, go back to the table, grab some grub, and I'll talk to Bill."

"Bill?"

"Yeah, Bill. He's a G-man, a Fed."

"He IS?"

"Yeah, maybe it's fortunate that he's here."

Gilligan looked toward the table of his friends, and sure enough, he saw Bill Maxwell keeping a candid eye on the two of them, already suspicious. Gilligan returned to the table, and the Skipper, maintaining eye contact with Maxwell, motioned with his head to come over.

He saw Bill give O'Neil a little kiss, and a nod to Ralph to stay by the women, and went to the Skipper, for all the world going to gab with him about his yacht.

Skipper smiled in response. He looked out to sea, then turned to point to the nearby marina, as if they were going to talk about boating and fishing.

"Play along, Bill, while I tell you what Gilligan told me," Jonas Grumby said, still smiling.

"Sure," Bill whispered back, also smiling and pointing off-shore.

"Gilligan said there're two guys in the bushes by the rest rooms, one with a gun he showed him."

"Damn," Bill muttered. "All right, go back to the table like nothing's happened. I've got a phone in my car, I'll call the cops."

"No need, Bill, there're a coupla motorcycle cops behind me to the right, in the parking area."

Bill moved to scan the area quickly, and looked back to the shoreline.

"All right, I'll go talk to them like I'm asking directions or something, and tell them."

Skipper did as Bill told him, and Bill went to talk to the cops, for all the world acting like a tourist asking for help.

He turned his back to the bushes and rest rooms and carefully withdrew his badge and ID, showing the two officers.

"I've got two goons in that bush over there, watching us, at least one's armed. One of those at the table is on witness protection, so if you two could nail them without creating a ruckus, I'd really appreciate it!"

The officers were too glad to help, getting a little excitement on this extremely boring day. Boring was okay, especially on the fourth of July in Los Angeles, but a good adrenalin rush was fun too.

Bill was turning and pointing, and the officers were as well, as they continued the pretense of giving directions.

Bill muttered, "Gimme a few minutes to get back to the table, then make like you're pounding the pavement and come up behind them."

He walked off, waving to the two very helpful police officers.

"Thank ya kindly, officers, I'll be sure to check out that restaurant!" he gushed, grinning like a goofy turista.

Fifteen minutes later, the Minnow reunion was interrupted by a commotion from the direction of the rest rooms. Bill smiled when he saw the cops dragging the two men from the bushes, disarming both of them in a flash. They didn't even look in the direction of the sheltered area, for all the world having discovered the two clandestine operators on their own.

It didn't take long for two patrol cars to show up to haul the men away.

Bill winked at Ralph, who'd watched the whole thing play out in front of him, not letting on to either Pam or Kim that anything was afoot. He'd wondered if he should go put his suit on, just in case, but when Bill saw Ralph look at his stationwagon, he gave him a small shake of the head. Won't be necessary, he was telling his partner silently.

As the afternoon wore on, the food and drink being consumed in waves, the children being marshalled by various adults to the water, Bill kept an eye on the entire visible area. He didn't see any other suspicious activities, at least out of the norm for L.A. on a hot fourth of July. He began to relax his guard a bit toward the late sunset.

As the sun neared the horizon, Mary Ann returned from their car with some bed rolls for the kids. They grimaced when they saw what she carried, knowing what she had in mind.

"Awww, Mom, come ON! Mary Grace and I are thirteen, we're too old for naps!"

She took her son aside. "I know you are, but look at William and little Ginny, they're like zombies. They're so tired they can't see straight, but they won't lie down unless you and Mary Grace do too. I just wanted you two to settle down with them. We brought coloring books and other quiet activities for you to start them on. I guarantee that within minutes they'll be out like lights."

Roy smiled his appreciation at his mother. "Oh, okay, we can do that. I'll corral them into a circle and get started on coloring."

She planted a kiss on her son's head, "Thanks, son!"

She hadn't bothered to point out to her son that he, too, would be asleep in minutes, along with his sister. Sure enough, looking at the kids ten minutes later, all four were passed out in the dwindling shadow of the shelter.

"Sneaky, Mary Ann," Bill said, smiling down at the children sleeping near his feet. She'd put them by him on purpose, for a sense of protection.

She laughed, "Yeah, I didn't bother telling Roy that I knew he and sister would be zonked too! I'll wake them soon before the fireworks display, and give them time to eat something and wake up."

"I appreciate you trusting them by me, but I was going to hit the water for a bit, if you guys don't want to yet."

"Sure, I'll sit here with them. Why don't you four get wet for a while?"

Bill looked around the immediate vicinity again, and leaned over to whisper to Mary Ann. "Can I leave my gun with you? Do you know how to shoot?"

She whispered back, "I've got a concealed weapons permit, Bill, and I grew up on a farm with every man in the county showing me how to shoot! It'll be safe here with me."

Bill quickly removed his holster with gun and ammo, and slipped it under a folded towel. He also emptied his pockets, putting the contents next to the gun. "'kay, we'll only be about a half hour, over yonder," he said, pointing. "Yell if there's trouble."

He motioned to Kim, Ralph and Pam to follow him, and they all grabbed towels. They'd worn their swimming clothes under their shorts and shirts, so stripped quickly on the sand. Bill and Ralph glared at some men walking by who'd taken the opportunity to look at the two attractive women slipping their outer clothes off, and Pam and Kim laughed at their guys.

"All right, you two, no need to start any fights!" Pam said.

"Hmmm, I dunno, Pam, it might be entertaining!"

"Yeah, coupla clowns you dames are," Bill grumbled. He picked O'Neil up in his arms and went out far enough to toss her in, smiling the whole time as she struggled in vain.

"BILL!" she screeched as he launched her into the water.

"Aw, poor baby, come tell Uncle Billy about it!" he crooned, swimming after her.

"Get away from me, you shark!" she yelled.

"Shhhh, O'Neil, we don't say the 's' word when we're in the water in L.A.! People tend to take it seriously."

"Oops, you're right. We don't worry about sharks too much in the cricks in Georgia, after all! Just snakes!"

Bill caught up to her and pulled her to him, and took advantage of the dying sunlight for a little hanky-panky. Every so often he'd scan the vicinity, keeping an eye on Pam and Ralph, and their picnic area.

He moved them further out, so the waves washed over O'Neil's upper body, and he let his hands secretly explore her under the waves.

"I knew that's why you wanted to get in the water at sunset, Maxwell," she said, giggling as her own hands played around underwater.

"Kids asleep, it's all quiet on the western front, why not?"

They didn't continue long, finding themselves getting far too carried away in this very public swimming area. Bill spied Pam and Ralph holding one another, kissing, and suspected they, too, needed to nix the underwater play.

"Hey! You two! Get a room!" he yelled, laughing as he and Kim made their way over to them.

Ralph didn't respond, continuing to kiss Pam for a few moments, then he lazily pulled away from her. "You've got room to talk, Maxwell, the way you two were going at it!"

"Damn, was it that obvious?"

"Maybe not to a blind man. Good thing the kids are asleep."

The four swam around one another for a time, laughing and splashing. Kim ducked under, swimming to Bill, and playfully yanked on his swimming trunks.

He yelped and reached under, powerfully yanking her up under the arms.

"All right, you!" he said, stopping any reply with a kiss. She wrapped herself over his hips, clinging to him.

She whispered, "What was that little play I saw earlier, with you, the Skipper and Gilligan?"

He said quietly back, relishing the feel of her on him so, "You noticed that, huh?"

"Hmmmm mmmm," she muttered, smiling at him.

"Just a coupla goons by the rest room. Gilligan saw them and told us."

"Everything all right?"

"'Course it is, you've got me, don't you? And Ralph's got the jammies."

"It's fine, Kim," Ralph said, having heard the quiet exchange.

They returned within the half-hour Bill had given Mary Ann, and he took his holster, ID and other things he'd left.

They had about fifteen minutes before the fireworks were to begin, and Mary Ann went to wake the children. Roy the third scowled at his mother as he rubbed the sleep from his eyes.

"That was dirty pool, Mom!"

She laughed, "Well, it worked, didn't it? Now you'll be wide awake and chipper for the light show to come in a bit. Here, get the little ones up and go to the rest rooms, before the rush."

He did as she told him, urging his sister, William and Ginny up and out. It didn't take long to rouse them to full wakefulness, and they were running for the rest rooms.

Ralph watched the kids run off and stood up. "Actually, I've gotta hit the head too, I'll be right back."

He soon joined the two boys in the men's room, and when they came out, the two girls were still occupied.

"Let's wait for the girls, you two," Ralph said. "Don't wanna leave them alone here in the dark."

William said, "Yeah, but the table's just over there!"

Roy said, "Naw, William, in L.A., at night, you don't leave girls alone. Period."

Ralph nodded in agreement with his cousin. He turned to face the water, and the boys did in turn. A few minutes later, the girls emerged from the rest room.

"You three waiting for us?" Mary Grace asked.

"Of course, we're not going to leave two young ladies alone in the dark, are we?" Ralph said, smiling at his younger cousin.

As they turned toward the picnic tables, Ralph froze and yanked the kids back. He shoved them behind the bushes that had caused so much excitement earlier.

He saw four men, in dark suits, surrounding the table of his friends, family and Pam. The men's hands were in their pockets, but from the stance, it was obvious they were holding firearms.

The kids had not seen what was going down at their table, and Roy looked up at Ralph, who was peering over the bush.

"Ralph, what IS it?" He started to stand, and Ralph pushed him down.

"Roy, I need you to take care of the kids for me, can you do that? The little ones?"

"Sure, but..."

"Shhhh, don't speak, don't move, STAY THERE!"

Mary Grace grabbed her brother's shoulder, both to hold him in place as Ralph had commanded, and for comfort.

"Roy, do as he says! Something's wrong at the table!"

Ralph was gone, seemingly blending into the darkness. The two Hinkley teens waited a few moments, each holding one of the Grumby children tightly to them, then peered over the bush.

They saw what Ralph had seen, except now Bill Maxwell was standing, his hands cuffed behind his back. One of the men was talking to Bill's girlfriend, O'Neil, a woman they'd just met but found to be very nice.

Roy whispered to Ginny and William, "They've got Bill and his girlfriend! Where'd Ralph GO?"

The older kids allowed Ginny and William to stand and watch, and after they did, something very unusual happened. In a flash, the four men had been knocked to the ground, as if struck by an invisible force. It was so fast that the four kids yelped in surprise.

In another instant, the same four men were piled into a heap, stacked like a sandwich. Bill pulled his hands apart, as if on his own, and hugged O'Neil to himself.

"What the...?" Roy asked nobody in particular.

Mary Grace hesitated, then asked, "Um, Roy? What just happened?"

She saw her brother frown as he considered what he'd witnessed. "I don't really know, Mary Grace!"

He looked around for his older cousin. "Where'd Ralph go, any way? Last I saw, he was heading to the parking lot, now nothing."

They looked in that direction, away from the table with their parents and friends. Ralph had told them to stay, so stay they would until told otherwise.

The four jumped as Ralph came up behind them, from the direction of the rest room, not the parking lot. He was wearing a long sweatshirt and sweatpants.

"RALPH!" Mary Grace yelped, turning to face him. "Where'd you GO, to CHANGE? After you left us here? Did you see what happened?"

All four of them tried to relay what they saw, of the men being thrown back then piled upon one another, and Bill breaking out of what looked like very real police cuffs.

Ralph laughed, pulling them all close so he could be sure they were uninjured. The thought of these precious children being at the table, instead of away at the rest rooms, had not escaped him. He took a long breath, calming his nerves on what might-have-been, and began to lead the kids back to the table.

When Jonas, Ginger, Roy and Mary Ann saw their children, safe and sound, they couldn't close the distance fast enough. The kids ran into their parents' embraces. They pulled back, telling the four adults what they had witnessed.

Roy and Mary Ann, both knowing what had happened with Ralph's assistance, listened to the children, nodding their heads as if amusing them.

Roy the third and Mary Grace exchanged silent looks, confirming with one another: they're covering something up. They knew their parents too well, and the Grumbys too, who weren't acting odd as Roy and Mary Ann Hinkley were.

After the four adults and four children had calmed down, they followed Ralph back to the table.

Mr. and Mrs. Howell waved for the children to come to them, and hugged them as well. Tears were streaming down Lovey's face.

"Oh, my precious darlings, we didn't know where you WERE, if they'd done something to you! Uncle Thurston and I were dying inside for worry!"

The four soothed the elderly couple, assuring them that Ralph had seen them safely hidden before he went to change.

"You went to CHANGE?" Thurston Howell asked angrily. The other former castaways, the ones who did not know about Ralph's special suit, were growing angry too, at the thought of him leaving their kids behind and knowing this was happening.

Bill looked between them all, noting the panic building on Ralph's face as he thought of a plausible excuse to do the inexcuseable.

He spoke up, speaking rapidly so the others couldn't interrupt. "Uh, Mr. Howell, everyone, Ralph, um... Ralph's my partner, you see, and even though he's not a FED, he's received some uh... special training. He was working on something with me through all this, and had to make tracks AWAY from the kids, so as not to attract attention to them."

Understanding replaced the anger that had been building like a brewing volcano, and the other adults relaxed.

"So you were aware of it all along, Mr. Maxwell?" Mr. Howell asked, still frowning in Ralph's and Bill's direction.

"Yes, sir. I was confident it would work out and we'd nail these bad guys."

"Very well, my boy, then it all worked out for the best. Very good." He looked down at Mary Grace and Ginny, who were both perched on his lap. "And my girls are all right?"

"Yes, Uncle," they both said quietly, now that the adrenalin was fading. They suddenly realized just how much they'd been in danger, and hugged the older man for comfort.

Ginger had her arm around her son, and Mary Ann's was around her own boy.

Roy the third told his mother, "We did exactly as Ralph told us, Mom, we stayed put, even though it looked like it was all over. He said 'stay' so we stayed."

"Very good, Roy," Mary Ann said, smiling at her son. He was maturing to be such a fine young man, so well behaved, that her eyes misted over at the sight of him.

"Aw, it's okay, Mom, like Uncle Thurston said, it all worked out."

As if in response to Roy's declaration, a brilliant flash of purple, blue and green lit up the sky with a thundering boom, and the fireworks show was underway.

Mary Ann reached for the bag she'd left closed all day and called the kids to her.

"Okay, here're your little flags, because it's Independence Day after all, and a handful of sparklers and firecrackers." She lit two punks for them and gave them to her children. "Roy and Mary Grace, you go supervise the sparklers and firecrackers."

Knowing what a little scientist her son was, she was confident he and his sister could handle the combustibles and Grumby children well.

"Sure, Mom!" He guided the three other children away from the table. Gilligan, watching the exchange, made slow progress behind them, keeping an unobtrusive eye focused between the kids and the fireworks.

Mary Ann winked at Bill, hoping he'd overlook the firecrackers going off within city limits. He just smiled and turned away, to face the exploding sky from their excellent vantage point.

Within minutes of the start of the show, almost all of the adults and children were lying back on their towels, in the grass. The Howells opted to remain at the table, keeping an eye on it all so the others wouldn't be distracted.

Bill leaned onto one elbow, over O'Neil, as the explosions went off over his head. She gazed up at him, mesmerized by the light in his eyes as they reflected the brilliance of the darkly-lit night.

"Hmmmm, I knew I'd see fireworks with you, Maxwell!" she said, smiling up at him.

He moved lower, to kiss her, then mumbled, "I'll show you some more tonight, sweetheart."

He lay back down, drawing her closer to him, and as the display progressed, the two whispered loving words to one another with none the wiser.

When the rumble from the finale faded away, everyone sat up and looked around.

Mary Ann took charge and marshalled everyone, adults and children, to their shelter to start grabbing stuff and cleaning the area. After they'd loaded up the cars, Mr. Howell raised his voice to draw everyone's attention.

"Ladies and gentlemen, young and old," he added, smiling at the kids. "Lovey and I would love if you all stayed at our house tonight, so we don't have to end the annual SS Minnow reunion! We've got plenty of room for you Hinkleys, Mr. Maxwell, Miss O'Neil and Miss Davidson."

"Wow, thanks, Mr. Howell!" Bill exclaimed, relishing the idea of staying overnight in a fine Brentwood mansion. "I've got tomorrow off, that'd be great."

"Excellent, so let's be off everyone, and we grown-ups can continue the festivities at the poolside, once we trundle the children off to bed."

They made a small convoy to Brentwood and Mary Ann and Ginger got their children settled into bed.

"Now, no talking and gabbing till sunrise, you kids need to SLEEP! It's been a long exciting day!"

The four nodded in acquiescence, although they had no intention of obeying their mothers. As soon as the women were heard going down the stairs, the two girls joined the two boys in their room.

They sat in a circle, falling into the easy chain-of-command. The three youngers looked expectantly at Roy the third.

"All right, what was all that about tonight? Did you guys get the impression they were covering something up?"

Mary Grace said, "Sure did, did you see Mom and Dad? When we told them SOMEthing had knocked those guys over, what did Dad do? He nodded his head patronizingly, instead of telling us we were just seeing things."

"Right, and Ralph left us, when he KNEW four guys were aiming guns at everyone! I'm not too sure I buy Bill Maxwell's excuse, either. Ralph disappears, this stuff happens, and he returns moments later in sweats? From the other direction we saw him go?"

Ginny and William were silent as the older Hinkley children used their deductive powers and analytical minds to figure out what they'd seen.

Mary Grace added, "Granted, we've only known Ralph since the rescue, but I can't imagine him leaving family, let alone little kids, by themselves in something like this."

"He did it," Roy and Mary Grace said together.

"Yes, but HOW?" William asked.

Roy's face crinkled up as he thought. "I don't KNOW! I know I've got excellent vision, especially at night, and I saw NOTHING, NOBODY was there! Those guys just fell back, like an invisible hammer had struck them."

Ginny, all this time, was soaking up what the older children were saying. She felt bad because she didn't have any speculation of her own to add, all she knew was what she saw.

"All I know is those bad men fell back, then suddenly they were piled up!" she pointed out.

The other kids nodded at her, making her proud to have thought of another point.

"You're right, Ginny! First they're knocked down and out, then they LEVITATE into a pigpile? I simply don't get it," he muttered, sounding like his father when he encountered a scientific dilemma.

William piped in, "And didja see Mr. Maxwell's hands? He was cuffed, with his own cuffs I bet, and he suddenly pulled them apart!"

"YEAH," Ginny exclaimed, having forgotten that datum. "He pulled his hands apart and hugged Miss O'Neil, like the cuffs were soft as taffy."

Roy and Mary Grace both assumed the same position, their faces reflecting one another as they put all this information together in their heads.

They looked at one another and said, again simultaneously, "Ralph did it. How, we don't know."

The four talked an hour or so longer, then Roy called a stop to it when Ginny was noticeably fading against Mary Grace.

He stood and indicated the door. "Why don't you two head back to bed, and we'll talk about it some more in the morning. Maybe Uncle Gilligan can tell us what he saw from his point of view."

Mary Grace nodded as she helped little Ginny standing, supporting most of her weight. "I think you're right. He's a good observer, and won't hold something back 'cause he'd think it would've been impossible."

"That was my thinking, too. He'd do like Ginny did: simply report what he saw, what he sensed."

Roy shut the door behind his sister and climbed into bed, next to William, who was already sound asleep. 


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four.

The adults enjoyed the festivities at the Howells' poolside into the early hours of the morning, after Mr. Howell assured them all that the noise wouldn't bother his "closest" neighbors.

"With the large properties in Brentwood, nobody's really very close to one another. Besides, nobody has to work tomorrow, so I doubt anyone's asleep in the entire area!"

As the evening wore on, Gilligan made inquiries of the others who'd witnessed the strange happenings at their sheltered picnic table that evening. The Professor took him aside, along with Bill, and the two older men reassured him.

Bill said quietly, "Gilligan, it's all very hush-hush, something the Professor, Ralph and I have been working on. Don't let it worry you, kid!"

Gilligan may not have known Bill and Ralph well, but he trusted Roy Hinkley implicitly. He nodded his head, accepting the explanation.

"All right, Mr. Maxwell, if the Professor says it's okay, it's okay. 'Least nobody was hurt, 'specially the kids!"

Roy said, steering Gilligan back to the pool, "That's right, Gilligan, so not to worry! We'll enjoy the Howells' hospitality tonight, turn in, and have a full day of visiting with the Minnow contingent tomorrow!"

As the hour approached 2 a.m., Mr. Howell stood, helping his wife up alongside him. He called to the revelers cavorting in the water, drawing their attention.

"Everyone, Lovey and I are going to retire, we're simply exhausted from this exciting and trying day! Please stay in the pool if you wish. My housestaff will get you all settled into your rooms when you're ready to retire as well."

They all waved to the older couple, yelling "Good night!" and "Thank you for everything, Mrs. and Mr. Howell!" to them. They smiled in response, enjoying the fact that their friends and guests were having such a grand evening.

Lovey told Mary Ann and Ginger, "I'll poke my head into the children's rooms, to be sure they're actually sleeping and not chattering, before we retire."

The two women thanked her, and the couple waved one more time before slipping out of sight.

With the departure of the Howells, the others in the pool decided it might do well to turn in too. They had a lot planned for later in the day, before the Minnow was due to start back to Hawai'i later in the week. Jonas had promised Ginger they'd make a visit to Hollywood for her to look up old friends and acquaintances, and Gilligan wanted to take a side-trip down to San Diego to visit some old Navy buddies.

Ralph and Pam, and Bill and Kim, followed one of the Howells' maids to their designated rooms.

The young woman looked up and down the long corridor, and turned to the two couples. She winked and said in a lowered voice, "Mrs. Howell asked me to put the ladies in one room, and you gentlemen in the other, but if you four decide to, uh... REARRANGE the accomodations, I'll pretend to be none the wiser."

The two women held back their chuckles, and Bill cleared his throat, also looking around the area. "Oh, well, sure! We'll be fine, we have every intention of abiding by our hostess's wishes, don't we, Ralph?"

"Certainly, Bill, we wouldn't want this young lady to get in trouble with the lady of the house, now would we?"

The young maid giggled her understanding, pointing to the doors on opposite sides of the hall. "You'll find a variety of SLEEPING attire in there, sirs, misses."

She gave them a little curtsy in her traditional maid's uniform and returned to the long stairway leading back to the foyer.

They waited till she was out of sight, then the two couples went their separate ways after silently wishing one another good night.

Bill quietly shut the door behind him after O'Neil preceded him into their finely-furnished guest room.

"Wow, it's like the Ritz, Bill!" O'Neil exclaimed, admiring the room then wandering into the full bathroom.

"They are a nice old couple, aren't they? I couldn't believe it when they invited all of us over!"

"Yes, that group does have quite a bond, don't they? I imagine the Howells weren't ready for their reunion to end so soon. We'll have to remember to send them a nice thank you card later this week, Bill, that's what's done in polite society."

He sneaked up behind her as she started exploring the dressers full of a variety of sleepwear, for both men and women. He snuggled against her neck, giving little kisses.

"Time enough for that, love," Kim said. She'd found two comfortable over-sized sleeping shirts. "Here, go put this on, get out of those trunks."

He took her hand and led her to the bathroom. He slowly started divesting her of her own swimsuit, then followed with his own.

"What say we wash up, get the chlorine off, and forget the sleeping shirts, hmmm?"

He halted any reply with a kiss, then pulled back and whispered, "Besides, I still owe you some more fireworks, don't I?"

The following morning, Mr. Howell had the housestaff erect tables and awnings for his guests, so they could all breakfast outside in the cool shade of the grove of trees near the pool.

After everyone had settled in with their food, the children made a point of separating Gilligan from the others. He went with them to their own table and sat down in the chair Roy the third had fetched.

The kids looked furtively at the adults' tables, then turned to their "uncle" Gilligan.

Mary Grace began. "Uncle Gilligan, what in the world happened last night? We saw it from the bushes, but we were hoping you could tell us more."

Gilligan, too, looked at the other tables and frowned. "I don't really know, Mary Grace, it all happened so fast! I felt something or someone brush past me, then WHAM! the guy who'd cuffed Bill Maxwell goes flying, and the other three right after."

"Yep, that's what we saw too," Roy said, looking at the two younger kids, who nodded in agreement.

"Then the guys were LIFTED and thrown in a stack, Uncle!" Ginny said, raising her voice. The older kids shushed her, checking the adults' table to be sure they weren't being overheard.

William added, "And Mr. Maxwell's hands came apart from the cuffs!"

The five of them remained silent, re-living what they'd seen in their minds.

Roy looked around once more, and leaned toward Gilligan to whisper, "We think RALPH did it, Unc!"

"Ralph?" Gilligan said aloud, surprised at the idea.

Bill and Ralph didn't miss that exclamation, and they both looked at the kids' table with Gilligan sitting amongst them.

The five at the table moved closer, into a huddle, so they could talk more privately. The four kids outlined to Gilligan the ideas they'd worked out immediately after the incident, and when they'd had their little meeting in the boys' bedroom. As they continued, Gilligan nodded his head, agreeing with their assessments of the situation.

"That does sound suspicious, doesn't it?" he asked, rubbing his chin as he thought. He looked at the Hinkley teens. "Your dad assured me that it's something top secret, that he and Mr. Maxwell and Ralph had been working on."

Roy said, "I'm not too sure I buy that, Uncle Gilligan. Mary Grace and I know Mom and Dad, and when we ran to them after it was over, she and I both picked up these weird vibes off of 'em. They're covering something up."

As one, all five turned and looked again at the table where Ralph, Bill, Roy and Mary Ann Hinkley were sitting. Ralph and Bill were staring at them all.

Gilligan turned back to the younger Roy. "Listen, let's keep an eye on that bunch this week, if they come along with the rest of us. The Skipper and Ginger wanna go to Hollywood, and I'm taking a Greyhound down to San Diego to visit some old buddies. You kids do what you can to observe Ralph and Bill Maxwell, okay?"

"Even me, Uncle?" Ginny asked, the hope in her eyes. She so wanted to be part of their little clandestine operation.

"Sure, Ginny, why not? From what you described from last night, looked like you saw it all too, didn't you?"

"Sure! I'll be watching for any weird stuff."

"Do that, okay. I'm gonna go back over there to eat, 'kay?"

They waved goodbye to him, and he sat at the end of Ralph's table, keeping a suspicious eye on him, Bill, Pam and Kim. The Professor and Mary Ann, being sensitive to Gilligan's ways, saw his looks and smiled at one another. They were confident the Minnow's 'mate wouldn't figure it out.

It didn't occur to them that between their own children, the younger Grumby kids and Gilligan, they had some very potent brainpower and observation skills.

Bill and Ralph glanced at one another for a moment, then turned to their respective girlfriends. They'd been so focused on Gilligan at the children's table, especially after he'd exclaimed Ralph's name, that even Bill, with his ever-observant and keen eyesight, had missed the three men who were watching them from the perimeter of the Howells' property.

The ringleader from the beach incident, David, had managed to get himself and his minions released from the L.A. county jail, on an obscure technicality. He and the two younger men were there with binoculars and a microphone-amplifier, watching and listening.

David told the young men, "There they are, men. With 'Ralph.' Maxwell had called to him, and all hell broke loose. He's the key. Observe how they behave; that lovely brunette is his ladyfriend."

The two blond men nodded their heads, but remained silent. They knew it was best not to interrupt the big boss when he was ruminating and plotting his next move.

"Before we can eliminate O'Neil and Maxwell, we need to neutralize Ralph. His ladyfriend may be able to help us in our endeavour."

The senior of the two henchmen turned to him and whispered, "When do we do it, Mr. David? Today?"

The older man didn't answer at first, which didn't surprise the younger man. He finally said, "No, we're being sloppy on this. Look how many we've lost, just sending them in to extricate O'Neil! No, men, we wait. We continue to follow and observe, but we do not approach. Whenever we get near Maxwell and O'Neil, odd things happen. And Ralph is always there, or soon behind. We wait." 


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five.

Over the week, David and his men continued their distant observation of the former Minnow castaways, Ralph, Pam, Bill and Kim. He'd managed to get more men from The Office, men that he could trust to fulfill the part of the plan he'd worked out for them.

They knew the M/V Minnow was due to depart on Friday morning, and he knew the Hinkleys and Pam Davidson would be there to see them off.

"Everyone know what they're doing?" he asked one more time, on Thursday night, to be sure everyone would be in position the following morning.

"Yes, comrade," one of the new men said, nodding his head.

"Good," he said, smiling at them all. It was finally happening, after all the frustrating weeks of pursuing the woman who'd betrayed them, and the man who'd foiled so many of their operations. Once those two were out of his hair and out of his life, he could resume his usual duties and tasks for The Office.

At the Los Angeles marina, the Hinkley family, and Pam, were slowly walking down the dock, back to the main building. Pam and Ralph were silent, sensitive to the mood of the others. They were sad, having said goodbye to their dear friends for another year. Even the twins were quiet as they trailed behind their parents.

When they reached the parking lot, Ralph and Pam turned to them to say their goodbyes.

"Well, Uncle Roy, it's been an exciting week! Pam and I need to take off to work though."

They all took turns hugging one another before parting.

"I understand, Ralph, so we'll keep in touch. Don't stay away for TOO long now, okay?"

Ralph laughed, "I won't, Uncle, I promise!"

The Hinkley family turned toward their car.

"Pam, I'm going to go grab a cold soda, did you want one?" Ralph asked, remaining by the building entrance.

"No, I'm good. Let me have the keys to the car."

He threw her the keys and they turned away from each other. As the door swung behind Ralph, he heard a scream from Pam.

He turned back in time to see her being thrown into a black non-descript van, which squealed its tires as it roared out of the parking area.

He ran out to see which way the van was heading, then ducked behind a line of bushes. As he struggled to remove his street clothes, he screamed for Bill over the walkie-talkie.

"BILL! Bill, answer me, they've got PAM!"

"Where you at, Ralph?" came Bill's urgent reply.

"Leaving the marina! They're heading south on the main road in a plain black Chevy van!"

"Follow 'em and keep in touch on where they're headin', the kid and I will meet up with you when we can. Just don't lose sight of her!"

"Right!" Ralph yelled into the mic, throwing the remainder of his clothes and shoes down.

He launched himself in the direction Pam's abductors had taken.

He was so focused on going after Pam that he didn't notice the Minnow several hundred yards off the beach, heading southeast away from Los Angeles.

Gilligan and Ginny were on the stern of the Minnow, preparing the boat for ocean travel. He'd given her small tasks he was confident she could do well. He glanced up one last time as the marina grew smaller in the distance. When he gasped at what he saw, red and in the air, Ginny looked up from the ropes she was securing.

Her eyes went wide as she, too, saw what Gilligan was seeing.

"Uncle, what is THAT?"

"I dunno, Ginny, it's too far away! Quick, go get the binoculars!"

Keeping his eye on the speck of red in the sky, which was paralleling the Minnow, he waited for Ginny to return. She was back within seconds, having only to grab the set off the observation deck above.

"Here, what IS it?" she asked breathlessly.

Gilligan frowned, and shook his head, not believing what he was seeing. He took the binoculars away for a moment, then looked a second time.

"Ginny..." he said, unable to continue. He absently handed the set to her, and pointed. She quickly adjusted them to her smaller hands, looked where Gilligan was pointing and gasped as well.

When the red speck had moved out of her field of vision, the little girl slowly lowered the binoculars, and the two simply stood and stared, mouths agape.

Ginny whispered, "That was RALPH, Uncle! It WAS!"

Gilligan didn't answer at first, he was too stunned. He whispered back, "I know, Ginny. I know."

The two looked at one another, ex-Navy man and future Olympics star. They weren't sure what to do with this new information, so they silently agreed they'd keep it to themselves alone.

For now.

Fin... also for now.

(A/N: The Lilacs Series will conclude in the next story, imaginatively called "Lilacs IV." It will be strictly GAH, and it's going to be Drama/Angst. If you haven't already, re-read the first chapter of "Lilacs II." I've changed O'Neil's situation, from sad demise to going on witness protection. I may or may not continue with the GI storyline. I've got too many other plot bunnies waiting to spring free via my Muse, so I'm not carving anything in stone. Visit my homepage via my author's profile to see what stories are coming up for the Minnow crew and passengers.) 


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